HAVE AT LAST FOUND A REPLACEMENT FOR MY WASHBURN IDOL

[Gstring]

Have just bought a well preserved Washburn WI66 PRO to replace one stolen a couple of years ago. Here is a video link to a German guy demonstrating an absolutely identical guitar for any who might be interested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lfcWLPR6XE

I really love the playability , build quality, looks, weight and sound of these guitars though I know the body shape does not put them in everybody's top 10. Its the only guitar I have ever owned that I kept virtually stock. I got used to having no tone control on the guitar and believe it opened up the sound. The only mod I made was to literally swap (with an Iron Maiden fan) the Custom Custom for a PG bridge which I thought sounded better with cleaner tones. Will persevere with the Custom Custom in the new arrival. Presumably the boffins at Washburn genuinely thought this was a good choice for this guitar with good reason. Its not the greatest for clean tones but can be improved by winding down into parallel mode using the VCCR.

Sadly these older South Korean made Idols are difficult to find for a realistic price and its taken me a while to track one down in the UK .. I think I got lucky paying £210 (around $285) with an excellent gig bag. I have tried some of the latest Chinese made Washburn offerings but IMHHO there is no comparison. I think the company possibly needs to re think its market position and range of products if it wants to keep its fans and followers.

 

[jclampitt]

Re: HAVE AT LAST FOUND A REPLACEMENT FOR MY WASHBURN IDOL

I always liked these guitars and the body shape myself, it's cool looking and original instead of copying another body shape. It's kinda like a weird cross between a les Paul and an sg but more comfortable than either. I've got a wi64 but I always wanted one of the higher end wi66s, the p90 gold top specifically but like you said they are hard to track down. It's too bad the newer Chinese ones aren't any good because the older ones were really nice.

 

[Gstring]

Re: HAVE AT LAST FOUND A REPLACEMENT FOR MY WASHBURN IDOL

Thanks for the comment. I think the Buzz Feiten nut helps the playability .People have different views on the shape. I sometime thought of it as a Tele/Ricky cross. Like you I think its cool.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: HAVE AT LAST FOUND A REPLACEMENT FOR MY WASHBURN IDOL

Washburn.......

Well, first, let me say congrats!! Those Idols were grossly underrated! As are most Washburns really... I didn't care for the look, kinda porky looking above the neck with the horn being so pointy. But, wish I would have snagged one of the higher end ones. I was recently revisiting some idols on ebay. (idol worship?? haha)
Washburn, I just don't understand. They make some amazing guitars, market them horribly and then make lots of turds too by then cheapening out the good guitars (inferior low end off shore made ones). So that most people that come in contact with Washburns think they are low rent. Kinda like Kramer and Charvel did in the late 80s. Im a huge fan of Washburns from the 90s when they had Grover J driving the train. But those MGs became the Mercurys and became lower quality. USA made Idols and others, same thing. The WM526 was revolutionary and awesome.. Even the low end versions of those, the HM24s were pretty good . They have some killer new guits out now too (The Parallelaxe (sp?) ) that are very well made and have some killer upgrades/features on them stock. But, they just don't get much respect...

Anyhow, sorry to sidetrack. I just don't understand why they don't get more respect, but when I look at the marketing history , its almost like cycle of shooting themselves in the foot.

 

[Gstring]

Re: HAVE AT LAST FOUND A REPLACEMENT FOR MY WASHBURN IDOL

Bloodrose. Thanks for your comment. I may have been a little harsh re Chinese Washys. A buddy bought a new HB35 in natural at a special offer price a while back which seems an excellent hollow body and a steal at the price. Especially after we popped in a couple of Seths.

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: HAVE AT LAST FOUND A REPLACEMENT FOR MY WASHBURN IDOL

My experiences mirror BloodRose's, the high-end Washies are TOP guitars, no arguing. However their watered-down offerings are hit-or-miss regarding their value-for-money. Some have been amazing mid-ends, others lifeless planks.

However I have yet to play a bad US-built guitar of theirs. And I still really really want a Nick Catanese Idol that I played, even though I have no idea who he is and I've never listened to a single Black Label Society song ever! Best EMG-equipped guitar I've ever laid my hands on...

 

[Wattage]

Re: HAVE AT LAST FOUND A REPLACEMENT FOR MY WASHBURN IDOL

I was just playing one of these a few days ago. I liked it quite a bit, really well made guitar

 

[jeremy]

Re: HAVE AT LAST FOUND A REPLACEMENT FOR MY WASHBURN IDOL

i always liked the look of those. i have a usa made wms and its a great guitar for what it is. i remember when derek trucks was playing a e300 around joyful noise and i thought it sounded and looked great

 

[Gstring]

Re: HAVE AT LAST FOUND A REPLACEMENT FOR MY WASHBURN IDOL

I am not trying to promote these models as a direct alternative to a Les Paul or PRS but I always thought, when they were available that they compared exceptionally well with other sub $600 guitars.If you can find a good one for a reasonable price second hand they are an absolute steal. I know of 2 other 166PRO owners who would not dream of parting with theirs plus me so you have search a bit hard to find one..

 

[Masta' C]

Re: HAVE AT LAST FOUND A REPLACEMENT FOR MY WASHBURN IDOL

I love the Idol series and have owned some really great ones, including a couple of the imports and a handful of the USA Custom Shop models. In most cases, it's extremely hard to get more guitar for your money on the used market.

That said, I have pretty much sworn off Washburns due to the company and their unparalleled lack of concern for the customer. Buying most of mine used, it was rarely a concern, but when I bought a top-of-the-line import model Idol for just under a grand and it had some glaring quality issues (I mean...glaring, like issues even Fender Squier Bullet models would be ashamed of!) and I asked for warranty service, Washburn's official response was LITERALLY "if you wanted a high quality guitar, you should have spent more for a USA model"! I'm not even exaggerating.

Still, it's really nice to see the good ol' Idols getting some love

 

[Gstring]

Re: HAVE AT LAST FOUND A REPLACEMENT FOR MY WASHBURN IDOL

Masta..Good to hear that you are another idol fan and that you have had some good ones.

As regards your after sales experience ,that is a totally poor and unacceptable response.Hopefully you were still able to return it to the retailer as defective. I have previously heard complaints that Washburn after sales is totally crap. I understand they did send a new bridge pick up to replace a defective one but it took weeks as they apparently don't have spare pickups at their only return depot and have to get them sent from the far East.I also understand that , as they insist guitar is shipped back for repair with full carriage insurance at the customers expense, its normally better to just accept a replacement part and fit it yourself.

It would be interesting to do a survey on this forum or players experience of warranty work from various manufacturers .